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A New Model for Nursing Education
These Essentials represents a new direction for nursing education, influenced by AACN’s Vision
for Academic Nursing (AACN, 2019), setting in place a new model for preparing professional
nurses, which includes a transition to competency-based education. This model provides the
structure across education programs and provides a mechanism to adapt to future changes
within nursing education.
Currently, multiple educational programs and degree pathways exist that prepare nurses for
similar roles. As an example, there are several types of programs and degrees that prepare
students to become a registered nurse, and there are multiple education programs and paths
to prepare a nurse practitioner (NP) and multiple types of NP certification. These multiple
program options confuse external stakeholders as well as those within our own discipline
regarding differences between an academic degree and a role – as if the academic degree
signifies a specific nursing role. The new model is an intentional departure from the previous
versions of the Essentials that were aligned to an academic degree. Thus, a primary intent of the
Essentials is to create more consistency in graduate outcomes, influenced by the robustness of
the learning experiences and demonstration of competencies. By emphasizing the attainment
of competencies within an academic program, employers will have a clear expectation of
knowledge and skill sets of nursing graduates.
Two levels of sub-competencies reflect the educational stages of nurses as they enter
professional practice and as they return to school to advance their education (see Figure 1). The
first level sub-competencies set the foundation for nurses entering professional practice. These
level one (entry-level) competencies are used within curricula for prelicensure preparation as
well as professional nursing degree completion pathways for nurses with initial preparation at
the associate degree or diploma level. Although learning experiences may vary across individual
programs, they provide an opportunity for learners to demonstrate attainment of competencies
in multiple and authentic contexts over time (not a “one and done”/checklist approach).
The second level sub-competencies build and expand the competence of the nurse seeking
advanced education in nursing and broadens the breadth of experiences in context and
complexity as compared to graduates of entry-level programs. Advanced nursing education
affords the student the opportunity to focus on an advanced nursing practice specialty
or advanced nursing practice role. Level 2 sub-competencies form the foundation for all
advanced education, and as conceptualized, apply to all advanced nursing practice specialties
and advanced nursing practice roles. Referencing Thorne’s use of “nursing’s angle of vision”
reinforces the importance of nurses using the unique knowledge and insight of the profession to
inform any practice role and to impact the challenges in health care. Competencies designated
for an advanced nursing practice specialty (informatics, administration/practice leadership,
public health/population health, health policy) or an advanced practice nursing role (certified
nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, certified clinical nurse specialist, certified registered
nurse anesthetist) are integrated with and complement the Essentials competencies.

16 THE ESSENTIALS: CORE COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION